Sermon Tone Analysis

*Huh, I don’t get it?*

Intro:

Secular - The light glints off the shiny metal.

The beads of sweat roll down the brow of an unshaven man; his ruddy complexion is hidden behind a mask.

With incredible force he drives the blade into the flesh of a young man who is unaware of what is about to take place.

The spray of blood, the crunch of bones…

 

And the skilled physician in his surgical mask prevents the young man from dying by removing his leg; a leg badly damaged in a horrific car accident… an injury that left unattended would have caused him to bleed to death.

Despite the fact that this action was very necessary it appeared by the simple play by play account to be a gruesome account of murder when in actual fact it was an act of love and mercy by a trained medical professional – we went from an *Huh, I don’t get it*?

To Oh, now I get it!

Or as Paul Harvey would say, “Now you know the rest of the story.”

Biblical - The Bible recounts many cases of people who just didn’t get it!

Simon the Sorcerer was just such a fellow…

 

NIV Acts Chapter 8 -  9 Now for some time *a* man named Simon had practiced sorcery in the city and amazed all the people of Samaria.

He boasted that he was someone great, 10 and all the people, both high and low, gave him their attention and exclaimed, "This man is the divine power known as the Great Power."

11 They followed him because he had amazed them for *a* long time with his magic.

12 But when they believed Philip as he preached the good news of the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women.

13 Simon himself believed and was baptized.

And he followed Philip everywhere, astonished by the great signs and miracles he saw.

14 When the apostles in Jerusalem heard that Samaria had accepted the word of God, they sent Peter and John to them…/starting again at verse 17/ - 17 Then Peter and John placed their hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit.

18 When Simon saw that the Spirit was given at the laying on of the apostles' hands, he offered them money 19 and said, "Give me also this ability so that everyone on whom I lay my hands may receive the Holy Spirit."

20 Peter answered: "May your money perish with you, because you thought you could buy the gift of God with money!

21 You have no part or share in this ministry, because your heart is not right before God.

22 Repent of this wickedness and pray to the Lord.

Perhaps he will forgive you for having such a thought in your heart.

23 For I see that you are full of bitterness and captive to sin."

 

Simon didn’t understand the gift of the Spirit.

He related it to his own importance and didn’t appear to see how God was at work.

For Simon it was a… Huh, I don’t get it… moment.

Personal – Have you ever prayed and prayed for something.

Ever desired something so much that you could almost taste the sweetness of its fulfillment.

You were praying in concert with Scripture.

You were not selfish in your request… you believed wholeheartedly that God wanted this for you… you believed wholeheartedly that God wanted this for your church… but no matter how great your faith and petitioning, God has withheld this… have you ever wondered Huh, I don’t get it?

Job wondered this.

He tried to understand why it was that he, who was blameless before God and faithful to God, was subject to such severe torment.

Job was crying out to God… not only Huh, I don’t get it … but why me Lord, why me?

I deserve better than this!! God heard his cries and responded…

 

Let’s look at God and Job’s interaction.

We will look at Chapter 40:1-14 and 42:1-6.

Let’s see how God responds to Job’s cry and then we’ll look at some background info.

NIV Job 40:1 The LORD said to Job: 2 "Will the one who contends with the Almighty correct him?

Let him who accuses God answer him!"

The “Let him who *accuses *God” is the Hebrew word rASyI that means – one who reproves, coming from the idea of discipline and chastening… chastening God?  

0877.0

rs;y" (y¹sar) *discipline, chasten, instruct.

*

(877a) rASyI (yissôr) *one who reproves.

*Only in Job 40:2,

(877b) rs'Wm (mûs¹r) *discipline.

*

 

Doesn’t it just make the static run up your back and make your hair stand on end?

Yahweh speaking from a cloud says to Job, you got a complaint against God!…

You are accusing me!!

We all cry out to the Lord in anguish and the Lord would have it no other way.

We are to bring our burdens to him.

As his adopted children it would be insulting to God if we failed to recognize his Fatherly love and concern.

~*~* Imagine as a parent your child falling and scraping his knee... the blood and tears dripping… the child falls to the ground and curls up into a ball on the front lawn and weeps.

Your child is fully capable of coming to you, but refuses… they shun your hugs and compassion, they turn away from you in their pain.

God wants us to call on him, to lean on him.

But to accuse God of injustice!

Background: What led Job to bring this accusation against God? Well Job was a worthy servant of God.

Job 1:1 says There was a man in the land of Uz whose name was Job; and that man was blameless, upright, fearing God and turning away from evil.

As a beacon of right living, Job became the target of Satan.

As a test of his worthiness God allowed Job to be tested, this testing illustrated that God’s love is not tied to material goods or temporal hope.

God’s love is tied to God’s freedom.

This testing incorporated the loss of his family (lost 3 girls & 7 boys and all his servants), the loss of all his possession ( a sheep or camel or two… thousand) and eventually the loss of his good health (wound up sitting in the ashes scraping his wounds).

As he suffered,  there are recorded numerous discourses between Job and his friends… in these discourses Job received all kinds of advice from his /friends.../  friends is a term I might use loosely.

~*~* You know the old adage… when advice is free you get what you paid for.

It was never truer than in Job’s case.

His friends viewed his suffering as punishment for sins he had committed in his life.

Job’s reaction… he defended himself against the charges and then lashed out at God.

Like we all do ~*~* now come on… admit it there are points in everyone’s life where they have been stretched beyond breaking and we cry out God why! GOD WHY!!

And even “God I do not deserve this… God why did you do this to me?” God expects it... he expects his children to react passionately to the challenges of life.

But there is a line… GOD WHY!!

And even God I do not deserve this… God why did you do this to me… this is not right or fair?

– That was the line that Job crossed.

He called into question the very nature of God… God’s justice.

Job crossed the line when he declared his own blamelessness and therefore inferred that God acted outside his nature in allowing his suffering and testing… it was then that he grieved God, when he wanted to make God subject to his rules of conduct.

AND NOW God wants to know what right Job has to question or reprove him!! (Let him who *accuses *God answer him)

 

! Now for real fear and trembling…

 

Job 40:3 Then Job answered the LORD and said, 4 "Behold, I am insignificant; what can I reply to You?

I lay my hand on my mouth.

5 "Once I have spoken, and I will not answer; Even twice, and I will add nothing more."

Have you ever felt like oh-gee now I’ve done it.

Can you imagine old Job?

All scabby and sore and sitting in the ashes and thinking oh no how bad is this going to get? Man he hasn’t seen anything if he keeps getting God upset.

Old Job well… he starts back peddling, back peddling so fast that he could have rode up the side of Everest backwards on a tricycle.

And he says I am a twerp Lord… a teeny tiny little twerp who didn’t mean anything… The Hebrew word he uses is ll;q' (q¹lal) be slight, trifling, of little account.

I am a nobody Lord and boy do I know it.

And he adds in verse 5 And I am not going to say another word… nope… I am done… mouthed zipped nothing more to say.

Recap: So let’s look back God challenged Job on his call for fairness and to be treated ‘rightly’.

Job’s response was oh-no what have I done… I had better just sit down and be quiet… who am I to question God?

 

~*~* Okay this one is for the sports enthusiast.

Have you ever been in a Titanic struggle, whether in sports or other combative venue.

There is that adrenaline filled moment , that moment when you correctly size up your opponent and find out you are severely outmatched and instantly you had a real sinking feeling… yikes.

And you cried for Mommy (well felt like it anyway)… Not only does Job quickly recognize that he had misrepresented God, God’s justice and God’s freedom but God is about to give Job a tongue-lashing he will never forget!

6 Then the LORD spoke to Job out of the storm:

7 "Brace yourself like a man; I will question you, and you shall answer me.

~*~* Here it comes… wouldn’t you love to take his pulse or blood pressure right about now?

 8 "Would you discredit my justice?

Would you condemn me to justify yourself?

9 Do you have an arm like God's, and can your voice thunder like his?

 10 Then adorn yourself with glory and splendor, and clothe yourself in honor and majesty.

~*~* I’d like to see it.